


Mianite Until Dawn

by coolcattime



Category: Mianite - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Realm of Mianite - Fandom
Genre: Guilt, Major character death - Freeform, Multi, Supernatural Creatures, Until Dawn AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29247843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolcattime/pseuds/coolcattime
Summary: One year after a prank lead into the disappearance of two people, ten friends make their way back up the mountain it happened on. Most are expecting an awkward reunion, though a few are hopeful that the trip might finally bring the group back together. However, none of them are truly prepared for the night ahead of them or know the possibility that more of them will end up lost to the mountain.
Relationships: Captain Capsize/Sonja Reid/Lady Ianite (possible), James Hayes/William Tucker Boner, Lord Dianite/Jordan Maron, Skipper Redbeard/Tom Cassell, Sonja Reid/Lady Ianite, Tom Cassell/Alva Conway (one-sided), Tom Cassell/James Hayes (previous)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Capsize.  
** **The Meeting Point.  
** **20:05**

“What time were we meant to get picked up? We're just early right?” I ask, really hoping I’ve remembered the time wrong. Even if that still means we've been here for half an hour, at least it’ll mean we were early rather than him being late. Though being at a random diner a good hour’s walk from our destination with almost no phone signal still isn’t the ideal place to be. At least this place sells hot drinks and we aren’t waiting outside in the cold, if not I might actually be dying right now.

 _Capsize.  
_ _Skipper’s sister.  
_ _Forthright, adventurous, impatient._

“Nope, we’re definitely not early, not anymore anyway,” Skipper sighs, pushing his phone over to me to allow me see the email arranging our transport to the mountain. I sigh. I already knew that Tom was late, I was just hoping I had exaggerated how long we’d been here. “We should’ve gotten food.”

 _Skipper.  
_ _Capsize’s brother.  
_ _Protective, foolhardy, relaxed._

“Yeah we could’ve eaten by now. Gonna have to wait a few hours now,” I say, smiling at him. If I was stuck here alone I’d be more annoyed but at least we’re together, he has a way of just being able to make me smile. Of course he can annoy me plenty too but that’s just the job of a brother. I feel a twitch of guilt thinking that, knowing what happened last year, but if I didn’t want to feel odd I shouldn’t have agreed to come back. I still find myself doubting my decision on that, but it’s far too late for that. I reach for my own phone, opening my message app hoping I’ve missed a notification at some point but I’m faced with the same screen I’ve had for the past few hours, notability all my messages to the people I talk to the most left on read. “I think Sonja and Ianite hate me.”

“A bit dramatic, don’t you think,” He asks. A small frown forms as he looks over at my phone screen, looking back at me with a sigh. I can already tell what he’s going to say, and I really don’t want to hear it. I already know the logical arguments he has about all this. “You know, not everyone has your need to reply instantly. They’re probably just busy. Remember when you thought Jordan hated you and he was just, you know, doing something without his phone for a few hours.”

“But this is different, this has been going on for weeks,” I say, trying to not start rambling about why it suddenly feels like they just don’t like me anymore. I've already done that a few times and I'm sure he doesn't want me to start again. Over a couple of weeks, they’ve just started interacting with me differently. I know that past month has been weird with all the prep for the trip but this doesn’t feel like a result of that. This feels like being purposely ignored. And it happened right after-- No, this isn't Skipper's fault, that isn't fair. Everyone’s just going to think I’m over thinking things though, I’m sure Skipper does. Well, might as well switch onto a different topic. “Looking forward to the most awkward reunion we possibility could’ve had with the group.”

“Come on, Cap, it’s not going to be that bad,” I shoot him a look. I know it won’t be the worst thing but, well, I haven’t seen some of them since last year. I’ve seen some of them, of course, I can’t avoid them and I don’t _want_ to avoid most of them, but still the amount of drama I’m sure has built up over the year even without the giant elephant in the room is going to be exhausting. Skipper seems to sense my annoyance. “Well, if it is that bad the lodge is big enough that you might not even have to see anyone.”

“Why did we agree to this? Seriously, Skipper, we both know this is going to be hell but managed to let ourselves be talked into it anyway,” I try not to raise my voice, though I manage to draw a look from the waitress, even if that’s possibly just because we’re the only customers here. I don’t want to have to explain to a stranger why we’re going to spend a week on a mountain where two people quite famously disappeared last year, not when I’m questioning the decision myself. Skipper places a hand on my arm and I slum in my seat. I know why we’re going, because everyone else is going, because if a single person had had the balls to back out, we wouldn’t be having this reunion at all. “It’s just… We’re not all going to be friends, everyone blames each other. Last time Tucker and Jordan saw each other they basically ripped each others’ throats out. I don’t want a whole weekend of that.”

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. If any of them start fighting Ianite’s gonna put a stop to it, and no one can blame you for what happened that night, and I’ll remind them of that if they try,” He says, giving me a reassuring smile. I can’t say it makes me look forward to the coming week but at least I know he’ll have my back. Even if one of the most nerve-racking things about going back up there is one he’s just reminded me of. I don’t remember what happened that night, I’m not the only one but I know I was a bit more awake than they were. While I’ve obviously heard from the others about everything, it’s always vague and differs between all of them. Every time they get into arguments about it, I’m stuck there awkwardly in the middle as I just have to hope that it doesn’t descend into violence that I’m not going to be able to defuse. I just wish I actually knew what happened last year, even if there’s no way to go back and change what happened.

***

 **Sonja.** **  
****The Lodge.  
** **Last Year.**

I walk through the halls, attempting to find anyone as, despite how I swear everyone was basically partying five minutes ago they all seem to have disappeared. Well, I found Dianite and Andor passed out but I can’t exactly do much with them. I should’ve realised a drinking contest would end like that but I can’t say I think a warning from me would’ve done anything. It does mean they’re probably out of commission for the rest of the night though. It doesn’t explain where everyone else has gone, though, and with how big this place can be, I’m not sure I’m going to find anyone. 

However, upon thinking that, I almost immediately hear some talking. Sighing a breath of relief, I go towards it. Honestly, I don’t care who it is, I just want to talk to someone. As much as I’d like to find my girlfriend, I’m not that picky right now. I open the room to the cinema, it feels odd to be in a house that just has a cinema, to find Skipper and Capsize in there, both of them lying across several chairs. There’s a couple of beers scattered across the floor, with a few actually being unopened which surprises me slightly more than it maybe should. As I walk in, Skipper turns to me.

“Sonja! I thought you would’ve gone off with the others. Don’t mind Capsize rambling, she’s a bit, well, pissed,” He says, gesturing for me to come and sit down. As I come in, I hear Capsize muttering under her breath as she grips onto a cushion that I’m sure doesn’t belong here, but it isn’t my house so who I am to comment? As she notices me, she waves a little, staring with a too wide smile as she looks slightly dazed. She laughs to herself as I sit down, to which her brother rolls his eyes. I guess she must've won the contest seeing that she's currently awake. “Don’t worry I doubt she’ll remember anything in the morning, I’m just keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“I assume something stupid is what everyone else is doing?” I say, with a laugh. I don’t even really need to pose it as a question since there is never really a time where someone isn’t doing something stupid. Honestly, as long as I’m not involved this time I’m not sure I really care that much, I’m not up for my clothes being completely ruined when I’m a good few hours from anywhere I can fix them.

“I assume so, most of them were following Tom,” He says and I almost immediately roll my eyes because that means he’s got a ‘plan’ and I do not want to deal with one of Tom’s plans tonight. They always end in some kind of argument and I really doubt it’s going to go any better when there’s so much alcohol around. I see Capsize perk up a little.

“Tom told me to meet him upstairs,” She says, slurring some of her words as she attempts to get up from the chairs. Skipper quickly stops her, which I’m glad for as the idea of Tom putting together one of his pranks on her makes me feel just generally uncomfortable. They’re bad enough when you’re sober, I don’t really want to think about what he’s planning to do.

“Well, I told Tom that you weren’t going anywhere so you can stay here,” Capsize slums back into basically lying down, pouting. It makes her look cute, not that I’d ever tell her that. I’m sure she’d just find it embarrassing. I wonder if Ianite would think she looks cute. I wonder where she is. I wasn’t able to find her, though I doubt she’s gone off with Tom. I wish she’d waited for me to get back but hanging out with these two isn’t the worst thing, even if one of them isn’t exactly in her right mind. Still, I hope Tom isn’t bothering my girlfriend. “Sometimes I really do wonder about him. Does he just like being in trouble?”

“It’s very possible. Do you want to know the stupidest thing he’s ever done?” I might not know everything he’s done but I have a good guess for the dumbest thing. We’ll have a contest one of these days, to see who actually knows the dumbest Tom story.

“Sure why not? I can’t get the projector working anyway,” Skipper laughs. I smile, especially as I see Capsize lend over to look at me. Yeah, there are worse ways I could be spending tonight. I’m sure Ianite will find me if she needs me and the others will find ways to occupy themselves.

***

 **Jordan.  
** **The Lodge.  
** **Last Year.**

“I’m really not sure this is a good idea,” I mutter, starting to regret following Tom for what I assumed would actually be a fun time. I should’ve known he was going to want to do a prank, though the prank switching target halfway through isn’t something I’d ever expect. I wasn’t exactly okay with pranking Capsize since I'd prefer to avoid pranking one of my best friends. However, Tom suddenly changed his mind and now we’re pranking Alva, which even if his prank idea wasn’t cruel then this would still be a terrible idea. As much as I didn’t want him to prank Capsize, at least I knew she'd be able to take whatever Tom threw at her. But Alva, well, she is not Capsize.

“Come on, Jordan, where’s your sense of fun?” Tom says, as if this is just a funny situation I’m over-reacting to rather than something that’s going to get a lot of people very mad at us. Ianite’s already mad and she thinks we’re pranking Capsize. But it really feels like the others haven’t considered that we’re stuck here with her brother and three of her cousins for the rest of the week. No, of course, I’m the only one worrying about that and being labeled a buzzkill for it. “We’re not actually going to do anything. She’ll find it funny, you’re worrying for nothing.”

“Yeah, Jordan, quit arguing and help make room for us in the cupboard,” Tucker says as James pulls out a few more boxes and shoves them in the corner of the room. I’m not looking forward to squeezing in there, not that I understand why we need to hide at all. I consider just leaving, going literally anywhere else in the lodge and just doing anything else but this god awful prank idea. James grabs me before I can.

“Come on, there’s enough room now,” James says, grabbing my arm before I can leave and dragging me into the cupboard with him and Tucker. Tucker closes the door behind us, allowing us to see into the room through the slats. I attempt to open it again so I can leave, but James’ grip is annoying tight and Tucker’s arm keeps the door closed.

“Just let me leave, this isn’t funny and I don’t want to be part of it,” I say, trying not to panic as I attempt to get out of the cupboard before Tom can get the bucket above the door. I don’t want to be in here, I don’t know why I ever wanted to be in here but actually being so is very sobering. 

“Come on, don’t be a spoilt-sport. If she actually turns up, then she’s fully willing to sleep with _my_ boyfriend. At that point she deserves whatever she gets,” James says with a dry laugh. It doesn’t make me feel any better about this situation. I know that the prank could be much worse but I still don’t want to do it, even if I can’t talk them all out of it I at least want out. I don’t care about their twisted logic about why this is okay, I just don’t want to be a part of it. “Now shut up before you ruin it.”

“I’ll shut up if you just let me go--” Tom bangs his arm against the cupboard down as he moves the box away from the door, the bucket in place. Why did I follow Tom? I could’ve followed Skipper and be watching a film right now. I hear footsteps coming towards the room and I desperately hope that it isn’t Alva.

“Hey, Tom! Are you in there? I got your note!” I start to feel sick as I hear Alva speaking just outside the room. I could yell, I _should_ yell, but my voice feels stuck in my throat as I have no idea if yelling will drive her away. If it makes her come in then I won’t have stopped anything, I’ll have probably made it worse. Would she even be able to hear me? I should probably do something but I don’t want to make this situation wrong.

“Of course, I’ve been waiting for you. Come right in,” He says, going over to the bed and holding his phone up. I start to feel sick as I hear James and Tucker laughing quietly. I can’t let this happen.

“Alva don’t!” I yell but it’s already too late as she pushes the door open. The bucket collapses down onto her, the mixture of beer and whatever cans of food Tom found first covering her as she comes inside the room. The others collapse into laughter as she screams in shock. I manage to get out of the cupboard as the others aren’t now focused on keeping me in there. Alva stares at me, eyes flickering between me and Tom as they begin watering.

“Alva, I--” And then she runs off crying.

***

 **Mianite.  
** **The Lodge.  
** **Last Year.**

I stare out the window, attempting to figure out if I actually saw someone out there or if I just imagined it through all the snow. There shouldn’t be anyone out there, if there are any rangers up here this week they wouldn’t in out there in the middle of a snow storm and I hope no one here is stupid enough to be outside in a snow storm. At least, I really hope they aren’t or else they have truly reached a new low.

Of course given that I’m currently in a kitchen where both my brother and cousin are passed out from deciding to have a drinking contest so maybe I shouldn’t decide what the stupidest thing my friends can do is. I’m pretty sure at least some of them will still be getting themselves into trouble. Honestly they aren’t breaking anything since I’m mean to be in charge, even if that’s mostly just because I’m the oldest, I still don’t want to be whined at when we get back because the family portrait has been egged or something.

With nothing better to do, I walk over to my two passed out family members to check that they’re still alive. As much as it would definitely be their own fault, I’d prefer to avoid anyone dying while we’re up here. I shake Dianite’s shoulder, rolling my eyes as he whines a little but doesn’t stir. I’m going to be stuck on babysitting duty all night because these two idiots couldn’t past out in a bed like normal people. As I sit down on the single barstool that isn’t either taken or covered in empty bottles, I notice a note that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there earlier. Well, it’s this or nothing, so I reach for it, letting my eyes run over the words.

 _Hey Alva,  
_ _You’re right, I deserve some fun this weekend. Let’s just forget all the group drama and have some fun ;-)  
_ _Meet me upstairs -- Tom_

“Well, that doesn’t sound promising,” I mutter, really hoping that Alva hasn’t fallen for this or that, god forbid, if Tom is serious he reconsiders. Because either this is a very badly thought out joke or he is actually considering cheating on his boyfriend who is also currently in the lodge. I don’t know which situation is worse but either way this is going to lead to a massive mess. I stand up, sparing a glance to the two sleeping in here, they’ll be fine for the amount of time it’ll take me to put a stop to whatever’s going on. I mean, if they aren’t then someone else should've stayed with then rather.

I get up, about to leave the room when I hear a scream and running coming quickly after. I almost groan, but stop myself, exiting the kitchen to hopefully stop this from escalating any further. As I leave, I see people running past towards the open back door. Oh god, please don’t let this be happening. Please don't let any of them be this stupid. I grab my coat as Ianite comes from upstairs and Skipper and Sonja from downstairs. Everyone’s just gathering just outside the door, the snow coming inside. As I get close, I hear their conversation, mostly them yelling at each other.

“Alva! Come back!”

“Alva? So you not only did another one of your stupid pranks, you lied to me about who you were doing it on?”

“Oh come on, it’s only a big deal because she overreacted like this.”

“What the hell have you all been doing?” I cut through the argument, not wanting to hear everyone talking over each other. Except for the two drunk idiots, everyone's here except Alva and Capsize and it doesn't take an genius to work out which of those two has decided to do something incredibly stupid. Honestly, I’m not sure I even actually care about the reason she’s done it, if Alva’s run off into the woods in the middle of a snowstorm then one of us needs to go get her or she’s going to freeze to death.

“It was just a stupid prank, we didn’t think she’d run into the fucking wilderness,” Tucker says, gesturing into the woods as if I don’t know where it is. I do my best to not just yell at all of them for being so stupid but I’m pretty sure this is one of those situations where time is important.

“Just all of you go inside, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t freeze to death,” I don’t stick around to listen to any arguments, rushing off after the quickly fading footprints. The wind whips against my face, though having a coat at least numbs the cold a little. When I get back I’m going to kill all of them, this is not something I wanted to do on this trip or ever really. It’s not like running through the woods in a snowstorm is easy, this whole place is a good place to break my neck.

I jump down a broken set of stairs, wondering why this place seems to be falling apart. I know that mum and dad haven’t had time to add safe paths across the entire mountain but would some new stairs have really been much out of the budget? Why did Alva come this way anyway? That or if she didn’t and I’m just completely lost, though I’m really hoping that isn’t true. Even if I am taking nearly random turns just based on footprints and noises. There feels like there’s way too much noise around me though, even as I try to reassure myself that the noise is just animals. Something about it doesn’t feel right though. And though it’s just for a split second, I swear I see flames coming from out of the woods.

“Oh, god. I’m so stupid, I’m so so stupid,” I hear Alva through the woods and put all my focus onto her. Making sure she’s safe is the important thing here.

“Alva!” I call out, twisting through the trees to get to her. I find her in a small clearing, crying as she sits in the snow. She’s dripping wet, and whatever the liquid is, it stinks. Why did she run outside when she was covered in liquid? No, now isn’t the time to question that. I run up to her, standing her up and wrapping my coat around her. “Come on, you’re freezing. We need to get back to the lodge.”

“I really thought that he liked me,” She cries into my chest as I begin to attempt to push her back towards the direction of the lodge, just wanting to be inside especially as I’m no longer wearing a coat. I bite my lip to stop myself from reminding her that, even if Tom did like her, his current boyfriend is also staying in the lodge, in the same room as him, and therefore I’m almost certain that it still would’ve gone terribly but I imagine that’ll be counterproductive right now. Get her back safe them, maybe let her have a shower, and then I can remind all of them how stupid they've all been. There’s a shriek in the trees so very close to us. “What-- what was that?”

“I… Just stay close to me,” She doesn’t need to be told twice, gripping onto my wrist and refusing to be more than a few inches away from me. I creep cautiously towards where I heard the noise, hoping that it’s just some kind of animal even though I couldn’t guess what kind of animal would make such a noise. Then I see a figure moving within the trees, remembering with a terrible start the figure I swore I saw near the lodge. I can't tell what it is, as it doesn't quite look like a person but it's not any animal I'm familiar with. There’s another shriek as it whips towards us and I take off running.

I’m slower than I would like, having to drag Alva behind me as she doesn’t quite seem to understand why we’re running. She keeps stumbling as I go too fast for her to keep up with but I’m terrified that if I slow down whatever that thing is will catch up to us and I don’t want to know what’ll happen then. I know we’re getting further away from the lodge, wherever we are, I don’t recognise it. We cross a covered bridge, Alva tripping as I need to double back to pull her up, seeing the thing close behind us as I do so. 

We make it into another clearing, this one on the edge of a cliff. I look around, hoping for any path that might lead us away from here. The wind strings my arms, the cold starting to become unbearable and making it hard to focus on anything else. There’s more shrieking, getting closer and closer and overwhelming my thoughts as we keep moving backwards. I see more flames coming out of the trees. I take another cautious step back. I hear the sound of wood cracking. Alva screams. I get dragged backwards, completely losing my footing.

I flail my free arm, somehow managing to grab onto something sticking out of the cliff that thankfully doesn’t break instantly. Looking down, I see the drop, my entire body frozen despite also dangling. I feel Alva’s nails digging into my skin as she’s only supported my hand, as she's flailing and got even less support between herself and the drop than I do.

I want to reassure her, but I physically can’t get the words out. What can I actually say? What on earth could possibly be reassuring right now? There’s noise on the cliff. At every moment, I expect one of my grips to falter. I see a person lean over the cliff, masked and definitely a stranger. I have to stop myself from shaking, scared it’ll end with both of us at the bottom of the cliff. The figure reaches their hand down. I could take it, if I could just reach up I could take it. I look down at my cousin, shaking and crying. I don’t want to die.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to choke out as I loosen my grip on her hand. I can feel her desperately trying to hold on, being left with scratches down my arm as gravity takes effect. I try to ignore the screams, try to not feel sick as I reach up. I don’t want to die. I feel the rough material of work gloves. There’s a crack, feel a few tears stinging my eyes. I don't want to die. I try to grip onto the hand I’m offered but I’m already falling. The wind floods into my ears, a rush of grey and white being all I can see before there’s a blinding pain. Then nothing.

***

 **Skipper.  
** **The Meeting Point.  
** **20:13**

Capsize shoots up from her position of being slummed against the table as my phone pings, the screen lighting up as the message comes up. I allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief as a message from Tom, looking outside to see him stood by a car. Finally we can get out of here. I get up, grabbing my bag, checking to make sure I don’t leave anything. Capsize does the same thing, though I can tell she’s a bit more hesitant. Maybe I should’ve tried to reassure her that it was okay if she didn’t come, I was always going to but it wouldn’t have been that weird for me to come alone.

“Well, time for a drive I’m sure you’re going to enjoy,” She mutters, pulling out headphones from one of the pockets on her bag. And there’s the other reason she’s annoyed about this situation. I understand her, and everyone else’s, hesitation that we’ve started dating but it’s not like I planned this. We haven’t even told most people before this trip was planned. I don’t quite know who found out and told the others but it’s certainly been an interesting experience, even if their annoyance seems to mostly be aimed at Tom. She sighs. “I’m sorry, it’s just weird.”

“It’s fine, I should’ve told you earlier,” I hadn’t intended for Capsize to find out from someone other than me. I was waiting for it to be less new, to be certain it wasn’t going to be over after a few weeks. I don’t think it helped that it was about when she found out that Ianite and Sonja started leaving her for a few hours before replying to any of her messages. They better not be annoyed at her for who I’m dating, because that would be ridiculous and unfair and I might actually kill them. I doubt that's actually their reasoning but I have to agree that the timing is unfortunate. “Come on, sooner we leave, the sooner we get there.”

“Suppose there’s no point in delaying it,” She says, slinging her duffel bag onto her shoulder for the short walk to the car. The cold hits almost as soon as we walk outside, making me glad that there was somewhere for us to wait that was warm. Tom smiles, waving as we walk over to him. It’s good to see him.

 _Tom.  
_ _Skipper’s boyfriend._  
Persuasive, confident, rowdy.

“Sorry I’m late, this place was harder to find than I thought,” He says with a laugh, taking my bag from me and walking around to the back of the car. I take Capsize’s bag off her, and she gives me a relieved smile as she gets in the back, putting her headphones in. I join Tom by the boot, dumping her bag in with the others. He gives me a smile. “You weren’t kidding when you said she wasn’t happy with this.”

“She’s just getting used to it, and she’s annoyed about other things,” I shrug. I don’t need everyone to be happy with us being together, it’ll be nice but it’s not necessary. I just want to be finished with travelling at this point. Tom seems a little comforted but he doesn’t have his usual confidence. Maybe I’m the only one not stressed about going back up? I mean, if everyone’s going to be at each others' throats why did they all agree to come? Sure, it’s probably going to be a bit weird but they’re both acting like we’re walking into a death trap. “You alright? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, totally, just-- Look, James is being pissy and I think he’s gonna try to start something with you and--”

“Tom, I promise you, I can handle myself. Let’s just relax and try to get this week off to a good start,” He visibility relaxes and I give him a reassuring squeeze before closing the boot and making my way around to the front passenger seat. Hopefully this won’t be too long a drive, it shouldn’t be but with how icy the roads can get it might take longer than expected. But once we’re up the mountain, hopefully our reunion with the others will go smoother than Capsize and Tom clearly think it will. I mean, sure it’ll probably be awkward, how could it not be, but we’re still friends. I thought we were all still friends anyway. Maybe I’m in for a rude awakening when we’re all together.

No one could’ve known what was going to happen last year, and even if we don’t know the full story, we know that no one intended for Mianite and Alva to go missing. Maybe that doesn’t make it easier to accept but I don’t think either one of them would’ve wanted us to fracture like this. I know it isn’t that simple, but surely this weekend is Ianite and Dianite’s way of trying to reach out and improve the state of the group. Hopefully, even if everyone has the same thoughts that this week is going to be hellish, we all just give each other a chance tonight.


	2. Friendship (10 Hours Until Dawn)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year after his sister disappeared, Andor is cautious but excited to meet his friends again after mostly being kept away from them.   
> Meanwhile Sonja waits for Ianite to arrive so the two can discuss their plans for the coming week.

**Andor** **  
** **Bus No. 38** **  
** **20:55**

My headphones don’t do much to block out the conversation of the other people on the bus, a small group of tourists discussing their upcoming trip. I suppose I’d be doing the same thing if I wasn’t travelling by myself. I won't be on the bus for much longer though, soon enough I’ll be at Blackwood Pines and re-introducing myself to the group, exactly one year since everything went wrong. As much as this is sort of terrifying, I'm excited to see everyone again.

_ Andor.  
_ _ Alva’s brother. _ _   
_ _ Optimistic, anxious, independent. _

I drum my fingers against the window, staring into the darkness outside of it. It’s funny, I’ve been travelling for so long but I don’t feel tired, even if the journey has felt different this year. Of course it would feel different, the entire year has, but I suppose it’s the first time in a while I’d had a direct comparison to something before Alva went missing.

To attempt to avoid spiralling into the mess that is that thought process, I turn to my phone, flicking through my emails until I find the video sent by Ianite last week.

After a few seconds of loading, my phone screen is filled with the living room of the lodge, Ianite and Dianite standing in front of the camera. Despite having already watched the video, it still fills me with a sense of security. I’m not sure why, I should probably hate the lodge but it’s the last place we were all together. Even if I can’t go back to last year, the idea of the lodge still holds that feeling.

“Hello everyone,” Ianite starts, smiling as if she’s just happy to be making the video at all. I mean, I’m pretty sure she was, she called me so excited when she found out everyone had accepted the invitation. Though, I’m not sure if that was because everyone had accepted or because the last people to accept were Capsize and Skipper, both of whom are good friends with her. Or at least they were last year. I know there’s been a lot of drama since then, though I’m mostly out of the loop since Dad didn’t want me going near most of them, but I think Ianite would’ve mentioned if she’d had a major falling out with anyone. “And we are so excited to be sending out this video to welcome you back to Blackwood Pines!”

“We are just so excited to have you all back up here, and to actually see all of you again,” Dianite says, after jokingly cheering at Ianite’s words. He’s smiling just as much as she is. I know they’ve both been working hard to make the lodge ready for this week, since it’s going from not being used for a nearly year to needing to house ten people. It’s certainly big enough but they needed to make sure they have enough food and that the lights and heat still work. Hopefully this week will be worth the effort they’ve put in. “So first, we need to address the obvious that we know you all have concerns about. After last year, this isn’t going to be the same.”

“This year has been hard on everyone, us especially, but it means a lot to us that you’re all coming back up this year, and I know Andor is looking forward to seeing you all too,” She says. She made sure when they were first starting to plan that I was okay with the idea, that she understood if I didn’t want it to happen. While I was just excited by the idea of seeing everyone again, it was nice to be asked, even if Dad took a lot more persuading.

“We just want to have a good time together. Let’s just have a good fucking party!” And with that statement from Dianite he ends the video, the chatter of the other group on the bus once again hitting my ears. It doesn’t matter really, as I’m so close to arrival, so I just listen to them chatter about their trip, feeling almost sad as I remember last year and how Alva was chattering away about her plans. Maybe I should’ve tried to arrange to be on the same bus as one of the others, but I suppose it doesn’t make a difference now as the bus is slowing down.

“Blackwood Pines,” The driver calls, though I’m already starting to walk towards the exit. This isn’t a normal stop, I don’t want to take too much of his time. I hear the small group whispering, though I don't listen too hard as I know what they’re thinking. Someone’s going up the deadly mountain, that mountain those kids disappeared on. It doesn’t really matter what they think but it is a reminder that this isn’t normal anymore, and I’m sure the others will have opinions about this trip too.

I thank the driver as I get off the bus, the cold air hitting me almost immediately as I stand in front of the gate to Blackwood Pines. The bus drives off, leaving me alone in the snow covered landscape. I take a deep breath, attempting to steady myself and stop thinking about how odd it is to be standing here alone. I walk up to the gate, making my way past the covered bus stop. My steps crunch in the snow, which the whole place is covered in, though the path is now lined with footprints as well as tire tracks from a car parked just behind the gate. A little odd, since there’s actually car parking space by the cable car station but I guess it isn’t blocking anything.

I push open the first gate, looking over my shoulder as I swear I hear something behind me. I shake my head, this place is surrounded by woods of course there’s going to be noise. It’s just animals, being louder than normal because of the snow. I wouldn’t even notice it if I was with someone. As I make my way down the path, it doesn’t take long for me to discover why the car is parked where it is as I find the second gate, a large iron thing that is both fancier and heavier than the one I’ve already passed, still closed with a note attached to it.

_ The gate is either busted or locked, so either use the other path or climb.  
_ _ \-- Capsize. _

I half-laugh. Of course something wasn’t going to be working right. Hopefully it isn’t a sign of things to come, though I imagine they just forgot to come down and unlock it with all the other prep they've had to do. Judging from the footprints, the majority of people have gone the long way round but, seeing that I only have a backpack and I honestly don’t feel like missing the cable car, I walk up to the wall. At least no one will see me if I fall.

It isn’t nearly as hard as I first thought it would be, the wall having surprising good footholds to make it over. Though I imagine it’d be a different story if I had a different type of bag as, at the very least, the backpack wasn’t physically in my way. I jump down to the other side, landing in the snow that luckily wasn’t hiding a sheet of ice as I continue walking down the path towards the parts that are better lit.

Seeing a squirrel run towards a tree in front of me makes me smile as it leaves a trail of tiny footprints. Even if this journey is too quiet, it’s still the same place with the same wildlife surrounding it. It might be weird and different and far too quiet but it’s still nice. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.

The cable car station is empty as I step up in front of it, though a bag sits on the bench letting me know that Jordan has gotten here before me. Good, I don’t want to be stuck in that cable car alone. Though it’s odd that he’d just leave his bag on the bench.

“Jordan, where are you?” I call out. I thought he’d be waiting here for me, I mean there isn’t much to do before we’re up on the mountain. He better not have gotten himself lost in the woods, that’s the last thing we need this week. I take a seat on the bench, it luckily clear of snow due to being in a covered area. I’d rather be inside the station but there aren't actually any seats in there so the cold outdoors it is.

I hear an electronic buzz and look to see Jordan’s phone, poking slightly out of his bag, lighting up from receiving a message. I should probably put it into his bag properly, so whenever he picks it up it doesn’t instantly fall out. It buzzes again. On the other hand, Jordan should’ve taken his phone with him or at least put it on silent. I pull the phone out of the pocket it’s hanging out of, and look at the message notifications.

_ Dianite: Everything’s ready to be set up.  
_ _ Dianite: You better be ready for tonight. It’s going to be wild. _

“I believe that’s my phone,” I jump slightly, as Jordan suddenly appears in front of me. Though he has a joking tone, I can tell he’s at least a bit annoyed. I mean, I was just looking through his phone so that’s reasonable. I sheepishly hand it to him. “I have to admit it’s brave, you don’t want to imagine the sort of pictures your cousin has been sending me sometimes.”

_ Jordan. _ _   
_ _ Dianite’s boyfriend. _ _   
_ _ Oblivious, humorous, mediator. _

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to look through your messages. Unless you’d like to hire me as your secretary,” I laugh, dreading to think what ‘plans’ Dianite was referring to. I see Jordan roll his eyes as he slips his phone into his pocket and takes a seat next to me on the bench, moving his bag onto the ground.

“It’s good to see you again, it feels like it’s been forever,” He says, shifting into a position on the bench so he can face me though it doesn’t look like the most comfortable way to sit. He elbows me a little like nothing has changed. I suppose it hasn’t, Jordan is one of the few people I’ve actually seen this year, even if it’s now been a month since I’ve seen him in person. Other than him and my cousins, I haven’t seen anyone in the group since last year. My dad already disliked most of them but the fact that, at least some of them, were sort of involved with Alva’s disappearance made him basically ban me from seeing them. I’m hoping if this week goes well then he might loosen up and let me interact with them properly again.

“Hey, I’ve actually seen you. I’m re-meeting everyone else having basically missed a year,” I say, joking elbowing him back. I see Jordan roll his eyes, smiling as he taps out a message on his phone. I’m scared it won’t feel right, that everyone has just gotten used to me not being around. I’ve heard some of the things that have happened over the year, but I know there must be a lot I’ve missed too. “I feel like I’m going to spend half the week just figuring out what I’ve missed.”

“I can give you the overview if you like, tell you the biggest drama,” He says, with a slight smirk. I imagine he’ll tell the story slightly differently and focus on very different things but I might as well get the recap started. If I’m going to need to hear this from everyone I might as well get Jordan’s recap done.

“Sure, why not? What else are we gonna do while waiting for the cable car?”

“Great! So starting off with the stuff you already know, Ianite and Sonja are still dating and I have been dating Dianite for a while now,” He says, and he’s right that I did know that, though I’m glad to have it confirmed. While I really hope my cousins wouldn’t lie to me, it’s nice to hear it actually be true so I don’t completely embarrass myself. “Not really any updates there that you won’t have heard from me or Ianite already. So the biggest cause of drama this year is that Tom and James broke up. I’m not really sure who dumped who or if it was a mutual thing but it wasn’t too long after that James started dating Tucker.”

“So James is dating his ex’s best friend?” I don’t quite believe the words I’m saying. I could believe Tom and James broke up, honestly it seemed like the most obvious result of the prank going wrong and I would’ve been surprised if they were still together. Still, James dating Tucker seems like a hell of a rebound. I wonder how Tom’s taken it especially if he was the one broken up with, I suppose I won’t need to question that for very long but I have to imagine that’s where the ‘drama’ of this situation came from.

“Yeah, it was as messy as you can imagine and it’s only gotten worse. So about a month ago someone decided to send us all the news that Skipper and Tom were dating, along with a couple of photos, and that person was not Skipper or Tom,” He says it so casually, as if it’s just something to gloss over though it just causes a lot more questions in my mind. Mostly who cared enough about the fact that the two were dating that they needed to rat them out to everyone else. What are we children? I mean, I hope it wasn’t one of the group but I can’t imagine Jordan would’ve mentioned it if he didn't think it was. “Well, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t them but I’ll admit, I’ve heard this mostly second hand through Capsize.”

“How is Capsize doing anyway?” She’s one of the few people I know Jordan is still friendly with that I haven’t really seen this year. I suppose defending her innocence to my dad by saying she was too drunk to have done anything might not have been the best strategy but, to be far, I was drunk that night so I thought it might be worth something. I know I definitely could’ve kept in better contact with everyone, even with my dad basically banning me from seeing them in person, I could’ve messaged but I will admit I was angry at first. By the time I got over that, it really felt like it was too late.

“Capsize, well, I think she’s fine?” He sounds a little unsure. “She’s the only person who has had some kind of contact with everyone, except you obviously. Though I don't think she's seen everyone in person. I think she’s been stressed the last month but she’s looking forward to seeing you and is probably the person to ask if you want to know any gossip about the others.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I laugh. It almost feels normal. I really thought this would feel weird. Maybe it will be when I get to the people I haven’t interacted with for most of the year but I’m a lot more hopeful that this’ll feel normal than I was a few days ago. If it isn’t then at least things with Jordan are normal, I’ll have someone to hang out with this week. I stand up, stretch a little, as I catch the cable car in the corner of my eye. “Come on, it’s nearly down and I don’t want to be stuck down here because we missed it.”

“Sounds reasonable,” He says, getting up and slinging his bag on his shoulder. I walk over to the door of the station, pulling out the key they sent me so I could unlock it. I have no idea how many keys my cousins must have given out to make sure everyone could unlock the door but if that’s how they make themselves feel safe then I don't see the problem with it? The key clicks in the door, allowing me to swing it open for me and Jordan to enter. Once we’re back inside, I turn back to lock it. I don’t want any strangers getting up because I forgot to relock the door.

The cable car isn’t as close as I thought but it should only be a few minutes. I drum my fingers against the wall. At least it’s slightly warmer in here and it’s better than missing the cable car. Still, this place isn’t exactly interesting. It doesn’t really need to be. Jordan pulls something off a notice board.

“Wanted: Victor Milgram. Wonder why they put something up for a guy that disappeared in the 90s,” Jordan says, handing the piece of paper over to me. The picture has been ripped off, though that doesn’t appear to be Jordan’s fault as I can’t see a picture of anyone on the board. It’s a good question though, why is there a random wanted poster for an arsonist who disappeared over a decade ago? Surely it wouldn’t just be put up randomly. Has someone sighted him around here? No, I shouldn’t panic. This is probably just a precaution because the rangers knew we were all coming back up, they would’ve given us a proper warning if they thought there was a dangerous person on the mountain. “Do you think we can expect an appearance?”

“I hope not. I imagine we’ll get into enough trouble just by ourselves,” I say and Jordan laughs almost too much considering I don’t think it’s that good a joke. Maybe he’s just happy to see me. A slight silence falls upon us as the cable car still hasn’t gotten into the station. I walk over to the security monitor, the screen showing the camera feeds of the estate, changing every few seconds. I watch the figures moving around, there’s quite a few of them. Obviously there is, we’re the last ones up after all but it still feels weird to watch them on the screen where I can only just tell who’s who. I catch a glimpse of Capsize and Skipper, both sitting on the stairs of the lodge. The feed switches again and I see Dianite walking on one of the paths. It switches again and… is that a bathroom?

“Andor! Cable car’s here,” I whip around when I hear Jordan, and the feed has already changed when I glance back. I must have imagined it. There’s no way there’s cameras in any of the bathrooms that would be weird and probably illegal. Jordan opens the cable car door, mock bowing as I step in and take a seat. He follows in after me, closing the door after himself and taking a seat across from me. It shakily begins to move. “You are looking forward to this week right? I know that it's been a weird year so I’d understand if you weren’t.”

“Yeah, of course I am,” Maybe I’m being naïve about this whole thing. I mean, I know not everyone is going to be friends but it can’t just be everyone yelling at each other non-stop. If people didn’t want to attempt to make things work then they wouldn’t have come. Surely deep down they also want to be friends again. “I mean, it might be a bit awkward at first but I’m sure after a few days it’ll be like things used to be.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be just like old times!” Jordan says, much more positive about this than I thought he would be. I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who thinks this week is going to be a good thing though. If Jordan’s this excited then clearly I’m not just being overly optimistic. “Look, tonight might be a bit odd because we haven’t seen each other in so long but you’ll see, by the end of the week we’ll all be good friends again, I just know it.”

***

**Sonja** **  
** **Upper Cable Car Station.** **  
** **21:17**

I try not to be too focused on the path, knowing that just waiting for Ianite is going to make the wait feel longer than it’s already going to be. She has things to do before she can see me and even if she’s all done with preparation then it’ll still be a long walk from the lodge to here. Maybe I should’ve arranged to come up earlier, it would’ve been a lot easier to have a private talk before either of us see Capsize if I didn’t arrive after she did. Well, I suppose that shows how terrible we are at planning.

_ Sonja.  
_ _ Ianite’s girlfriend.  
_ __ Resourceful, inquisitive, persuasive.

I pick up my phone to do something to pass the time, annoyed at myself for not packing my book in a place where I can easily unpack it. I knew I would be stuck waiting here, I really should’ve thought ahead. I flick open the messenger app to ask Ianite when she’s going to get here. Of course though, almost as soon as I open it, I hear the sound of people getting off the cable car. That’ll be Jordan and Andor. I stand up. Someone’s going to have to let them in and, well, I’m the only person here.

I probably shouldn’t be annoyed about having to walk two meters to open a door but I still don’t understand why Ianite or Dianite couldn’t have left their keycard in their or at least propped the door open. I know it’s a safety concern but I could’ve made sure it was locked after the last people came up. I suppose by that same logic though, I was going to be here anyway. I jump back when there’s banging on the door right as I approach it.

“Seriously, you two couldn’t wait five seconds before scaring me to death?” I say as I stare through the window at a grinning Jordan and sheepish Andor. I’m not even sure I could have been faster. I press the button, walking the green light switch on before turning the handle to let the two idiots in. “It’s a new security thing, Ianite and Dianite have keycards to open it from the inside. It was in the email they sent.”

“Well, Dianite sent a message that he might let me starve to death in there so I thought I’d get the attention of anyone to save me,” Jordan says, with a fake dramatic sigh. I roll my eyes and turn away from him. While I’m glad to see he hasn’t changed since the last time I saw him, I’d rather greet the person I haven’t seen in nearly a year.

“Andor, it’s good to see you. I wasn’t sure if I believed Ianite when she said you were coming,” It had been so long since I’d last seen him, I’d almost given up on ever seeing Andor again. Getting Ianite’s excited messages that he’d agreed to come up again was almost unbelievable but I guess so was this entire trip. Honestly it feels slightly uncomfortable to be back but Ianite has said this is a good thing so I’ve tried not to question it too much. It’s just hard to think of this place as where Mianite and Alva disappeared and the group basically fell apart.

“It’s good to see you too Sonja,” He says, pulling me into a hug that I have to admit is nice. It really has been different without him around. I guess I didn’t really notice until now how much I missed some of the others, even if they did sometimes annoy the hell out of me and I’m expecting they will this week. I suppose if the idea is for things to be like they were before than that’s all part of the plan. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

As we stop hugging I notice Jordan over by my bag. I’m a little confused at first, since I’d write it off as him wanting to sit and chat for a bit since my bag is resting on the bench but he’s not actually sitting. Then I see what he’s holding.

“Jordan get off my phone,” I say sharply, walking over only for Jordan to dodge away, not letting go of it. I’m going to kill him. The fact he definitely knows my password is only making this worse. What if he goes through my messages with Ianite? He’ll find out and he’ll ruin everything. I can’t let that happen after we’ve managed to keep it just between us for so long and we’re finally here.

“Tempting but Andor here taught me that this is proper greeting for when you haven’t seen someone in a while,” He says with a grin that almost makes me want to slap him as he again manages to dodge as I attempt to grab my phone. Why do I have the feeling that’s going to be his excuse for stealing everyone’s phone this week? I have a feeling he would’ve done this anyway though, he just currently has half an excuse. If he actually ruins this, I might not have to kill him because Ianite will.

“I said I was sorry Jordan,” Andor says as he also attempts to grab my phone. At least someone’s on my side, even if it’s possible that he just feels slightly guilty because Jordan’s attempt to say he caused this. Honestly I really don’t care why Jordan is doing this, I just want my phone back. As he dodges out the way again, I see his grin fall into a frown. When I manage to snatch my phone back, I look at the screen, scared of what he’s seen. It’s just my chat log with Capsize, scrolled about a week back. Why does he look like that over this?

“When Capize said she thought you and Ianite were angry at her and hadn’t been messaging her normally for weeks, I thought she was exaggerating,” His words instill a small amount of panic in me. Capsize thinks we’re mad at her. Has it really been a couple of weeks? I mean, Ianite and I have been planning this for a few weeks, and we have been messaging Capsize less in an attempt to make sure she doesn’t find out but I didn’t think it would be so noticeable that it’d panic her. Telling them the plan would probably stop them from thinking I actually am mad at Capsize but we’ve worked so hard to make sure no one else finds out, Ianite hasn’t even told her brother. How else am I meant to defuse this situation though?

“Okay, look, if  _ anyone _ else finds out what I’m about to tell you then I will kill the both of you so what I’m about to tell you stays between us, alright,” I can’t believe I’m doing this, Ianite’s going to kill me and somehow everyone else is going to find out before Capsize. I can’t let them think we’re mad at her though, if that gets to her it’ll be much worse than the surprise being ruined. I see curiosity on both their faces. “I’m serious, Ianite’s going to be mad at me just for telling you two.”

“I won’t tell.”

“No, of course we won’t.”

“Okay, so, Ianite and I are planning on asking Capsize out this week,” It feels slightly ridiculous to say out loud, despite how excited Ianite and I have been while planning this. I mean, it’ll be a pretty stupid plan if Capsize doesn’t want to go out with us but we’ll never know if we don’t ask. This week just seemed like a good time to finally do it. I see the two of them look between themselves, eyes wide. I somehow feel like I've just started a wildfire. “We don’t want to make a big thing of it because, well, she might say no. So please just don’t go around telling everyone because we really want this to be a surprise.”

“Yeah, of course, I wouldn’t ruin that,” Jordan says, looking suddenly a lot more understanding. If he hadn’t been I might have panicked. Hopefully this means that this isn’t a completely stupid idea and also that he isn’t going to tell any of the others. He begins walking towards the path to the lodge, Andor walking alongside him, but he turns back at the last moment. “Just do yourself a favour and shoot Capsize a message. It’ll help both of you relax.”

Then the two of them start the walk upto the lodge. I take my seat back on the bench, scrolling down through the messages from Capsize. I should be able to find something to reply to, hopefully she won’t be too annoyed about how long it’s taken for me to realise I haven’t replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to split this chapter in half, mostly because it was already really long and I thought adding the three other sections would just make it unmanageable. So this the first three sections (Andor's section is two sections since in my notes everything aligns with sections from the games) and the next three will be in the next chapter.   
> These first few chapters are mostly set up with the different character relationships and everyone's positions, especially since no one is really meant to be a one to one version of the Until Dawn characters. Though I could honestly talk about the weirdness in the first chapter of Until Dawn for ages, I've just tried to smooth out the issues as I went along for the sake of my own sanity.  
> Also I changed to shooting range scene into Andor and Jordan just talking because a fanfiction doesn't need a shooting tutorial and also the whether or not to shoot the squirrel choice in the game is really weird so cutting it just seemed like a better idea than keeping it.


	3. Memento Mori (10 Hours Until Dawn)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tucker, though cautiously optimistic about the coming week, finds things already awkward between his new boyfriend and (hopefully still) his best friend.  
> Capsize is happy that Sonja is finally talking to her again, ends up recieving a very different message.  
> Sonja greets her girlfriend and the two discuss their plans for the week, and how they may have to change.

**Tucker.  
** **Washington Estate Grounds.  
** **21:24**

I hold the small gate open with my leg as I shift around the bag strap on my shoulder, attempting to make the weight more manageable as this walk is longer than I remember it being last year. I watch as James walks past, only carrying one of his own bags as I have the other one. Maybe I shouldn’t have offered to take it but it seemed like the thing I was meant to do, one of those dumb romantic gestures.

 _Tucker._ _  
_ _James’ new boyfriend._ _  
_ _Stubborn, realistic, motivated._

“You’d think they would’ve built the thing closer to the cable cars, I mean they’re the only thing on this mountain, did it need to be a twenty minute walk to even be able to see the lodge?” James asks as I let the gate close behind us, already a few paces ahead. I roll my eyes a little, I’m pretty sure there is other stuff up here, at least if the faded posters for a sanatorium that hang up in the cable car station are anything to go by. I probably shouldn’t point that out though, even if that thing does still exist, it clearly isn’t close by to the lodge or else we would’ve seen at some point, or at least some pictures. “Or like they could’ve at least cleared some of the snow off the path.”

 _James._ _  
_ _Tom’s ex._ _  
_ _Resourceful, jealous, intelligent._

“Maybe they put all their energy into making the actual lodge look nice?” I say, hoping to defuse any tension before we get to the others. I’m already thankful that we haven’t run into any of the others yet because, despite how I do want to see some of them, I’m not ready for an argument right now. I mean, I know I’m not entirely innocent in all that but I want a nice week and we aren’t going to get that if we’re annoyed already before we’ve even properly arrived.

“Well, they could’ve at least come to meet us,” James says and I have to force myself not to sigh. It feels like he just always has something to complain about since we agreed to this trip. I did tell him that he didn’t have to come if he wasn’t going to enjoy himself but he insisted it was fine. Maybe I should’ve questioned harder but, well, I wanted to come. “I mean, I’m not asking for a red carpet, just something.”

“I’m sure they’ll greet us at the lodge,” I say. I’m pretty sure that was the plan, anyway. Honestly, I don’t mind not being with any of the others for the walk. I like being with James, even if he’s in a bad mood right now. I’m really hoping this’ll be a nice week for us, even if I have my doubts about that happening. I have a feeling there’s going to be more than one argument by the end of the night, even if I go out of my way to avoid them. “So, how do you think tonight is gonna go?”

“I’m assuming a trainwreck,” He says without a hint of humor in his tone. I can’t say it feels like an inaccurate description but still, I thought we can have a bit more optimism about the trip. It’s been so long since I’ve seen some of the group, I doubt things will go back to how it was with them but maybe we can have a nice time this week at the very least. Surely if we go in thinking it’s going to end terribly, we’re just going to be unhappy even if nothing goes wrong. “But Dianite told me that there’s a guest cabin that we might just be able to borrow the keys for.”

“Isn’t that against the point of this whole week?” I ask as we make our walk across the small covered bridge that marks we’re about halfway done with the trek. I thought this was meant to be a reunion thing, why does James just want to leave? I didn’t come up here to not see anyone. A romantic night away from everyone sounds nice but well, I also want to have a few nights with everyone.

“Maybe but I thought we could have some fun, I even brought some--”

He’s cut off by a roar as a figure jumps out in front of us. I drop the bag in my hand and swing my fist towards it, realising seconds before it connects who’s actually standing there. I punch Tom in the jaw, causing him to real back in pain.

“Jesus, Tom! Did you think that was funny?” James asks, having stumbled back but managed to not slip in any of the ice surrounding us. Tom shoots him a look, rubbing his jaw as he does so.

“Well, it was until I got hit in the face. You both make the funniest faces when you’re scared,” He mutters, looking at me like I’ve ruined something brilliant. So much for a peaceful night. He gives himself a shake, jotting his body, then he’s back to looking like his usual cocky self. It feels like I haven’t seen him look like that since, well since I started dating James. We’ve still hung out but it feels different. I probably should’ve expected things to change but it’s just felt so different. “It’s good to see you two anyway, but if you’ll excuse me I have places to go, people to find.”

“Wait, seriously, you don’t even wanna talk? It’s been like a month,” I say, attempting to stop him from leaving. I brush his arm as he walks past and he tenses, stopping in place. Even if things have been weird, he normally still wants to talk. He turns on his heel, looking at me with an occasional glance towards James. I get the sudden feeling that there’s something James hasn’t told me.

“How about this, I’ll talk when we get to the lodge. You know, as long as no one has started a fight with my boyfriend by then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Dianite’s asked me to do a couple of things,” He starts walking again and this time I don’t try to stop him, turning to James hoping for an explanation, finding him looking like a deer in headlights. He promised me he hadn’t been causing fights, has he just been lying to me this whole time? I didn’t think he would do that, I was so sure he wouldn’t.

“So when you said you hadn’t been fighting with Tom, that meant you’d be fighting with Skipper?” I actually can’t believe him, of all the petty things he can do. I mean, he was the one who broke up with Tom, not the other way round. It really feels like this isn’t something I should be questioning so much. That I should know who James is and isn’t fighting with. Is that even my job?

“I haven’t been-- I didn’t mean to anyway. Let me catch up with Tom, I’ll explain that this is all just a misunderstanding,” He speaks quickly, though I’m not exactly sure if I believe him. I want to, I really want to think this is all a misunderstanding between him and Tom but I’m not sure if I actually can. When they first broke it, he was picking fights with Tom constantly and there’s been so much of just a tense aura around Skipper and Tom dating in general. If it is a misunderstanding though, it’s surely better to get it cleared up before we’re all together.

“I’ll meet you at the lodge okay,” I say, picking up the bag I dropped from the snow. James smiles, quickly kissing me before running off after Tom. I hope I haven’t just started the first fight of the week. I shake my head, it would be ridiculous to think they’ll be able to fix everything with one conversation but hopefully it’ll at least stop them from having a massive fight with each other and making the whole week start off on an awkward note.

***

 **Capsize  
** **Washington Estate Grounds.  
** **21:32**

I stare through the telescope, attempting to get it to the right angle where I can see the cable car station. That’s where Sonja said she was. I wanted to go down to meet her but she insisted that I stay at the lodge given how long the walk is. I wouldn’t have minded but she had a point, I’m already freezing and forcing myself to stay outside for any longer than I need then I’m probably going to spend the rest of the night being miserable. I’d be inside right now but Dianite says the lock is frozen shut so he’s gone off to find something to fix that. Well, even if I’m stuck out in the cold, at least Sonja’s started replying to my messages and, while it might be in the wrong position to see the cable car station, the telescope is at least giving me some entertainment.

I turn it to look at the path upto the lodge, attempting to spot anyone. I don’t think they’ll actually be doing anything interesting but there isn’t really anything else I can think to do. If the inside of the lodge isn’t an opinion then it’s the telescope or sitting around thinking about how cold I am. I guide my vision across the path, stopping when I stop Tom and James standing and arguing. I frown a little but I didn’t really expect anything different. Skipper mentioned that Tom was worried about James starting fights… or something like that. I was only half paying attention. I wish I knew what they were arguing about, but this thing isn’t made for listening in. 

“Hey, Capsize,” I jump as Tucker speaks from behind me, having not heard him walking up. I do my best to recover from the shock without looking like too much of an idiot. At least I didn’t hit my face on the telescope, I prefer being embarrassed over injuring myself. Time to actually start the trip I suppose. I step away from the telescope, accepting the hug that Tucker offers. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Obviously, if you were trying I would’ve expected more from you,” I laugh slightly, shifting to sit on the railing. He smiles, dumping the bags he’s carrying to the ground. Almost immediately he spins the telescope.

“See anything interesting with this thing?”

“Unless you count James and Tom arguing, though I’ll be honest I think that’s old news by now,” I joke, though I see Tucker sigh. I guess he’s kind of in the middle of things, assuming he’s actually still friends with Tom. It’s kind of hard to keep track, especially since it sometimes feels like there’s everlasting noise of who hates who. I probably should’ve read through my messages to remind myself when I was alone but I imagine the moment everyone is together I’ll get a reminder.

“Well, so much for it all being a misunderstanding,” He says, shaking his head, giving a glance through the telescope. He seems annoyed, shifting from one foot to the other. He looks towards the path for a moment before just sighing and joining me on sitting on the railing. He’s quiet for a few moments as I attempt to come up with something to say myself. “When was the last time I saw you anyway?”

“A few months ago, at my show. You and Jordan nearly got kicked out,” That was possibly the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me, thank god it happened during the act break or I might’ve actually killed the two of them. Tucker’s face almost immediately turns to embarrassment which I think is fair considering how embarrassing it was to hear about. I obviously forgive them both but I still would’ve much preferred it if it hadn’t happened. Trying to arrange my life around all these idiots never meeting has been exhausting. If we somehow do all become friends again this week, that’ll at least be one less thing to worry about.

“Shit, I forgot about that. I’ll make it up to you,” He says. I’m not sure I believe him but I’m not going to turn down whatever he plans to do. I’d rather the arguments didn’t happen in the first place, but I can compromise for free stuff. I wonder how many promises of free pastries I’ll have by the end of the week. I almost sigh at that thought, it’s going to be such a long week. “Are you alright? You seem quiet.”

“It’s just been a stressful year, that’s all,” I sigh, considering how much I should actually tell him. I’ve rambled on about it before to Skipper, but he’s both my brother and also not part of the problem. I don’t want to end up offending anyone, that’ll just make the problem worse. Maybe I should just lie, but that never seems to go well for me. I suppose I can probably soften my feelings a bit, as long as he doesn’t ask too many questions. “Everyone’s annoyed at each other and I’ve heard pretty much every complaint they’ve had. People are constantly arguing and this week isn’t going to be any different. I’m just tired of being stuck in the middle of it.”

“You should have mentioned before. Look, I’ll try to keep James out of arguments this week,” He says. I’ll be honest, I don’t think he’s going to be successful but it’s nice of him to offer. Who knows, maybe he will manage to save us all a few headaches, though I really doubt it. Still, it’s nice that he’s going to try. “Also, is there any reason you’re sitting out here in the cold?”

“The door of the lodge is frozen shut or something. Dianite might have fixed it by now though,” I shrug. I think that Skipper would’ve come to get me if that was the case but I suppose there’s no harm in checking. The worse that will have happened is that I warmed myself up a bit from the walk. I stand up, dusting off the snow that falls onto my pants, Tucker doing the same and grabbing the bags he put down. Just as I’m ready to walk off, my phone pings with a notification. “That’ll be Sonja, go on ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“If you instead,” Tucker says as I wave him off. I know I could read and walk but I know these idiots and that all of them like to read over my shoulder. When he’s far enough up the path that I’m pretty sure he won’t come back, I pull out my phone but frown when I see the notification.

_One new message from unknown user._

I feel a lump in my throat. The last time I got a message from an ‘unknown user’ it was a bunch of photos of my brother and Tom on a date. Should I even look at it? Surely it’s better to look now than leave it and risk opening it when the others are around. Hopefully I won’t want to bleach my eyes after opening this stupid thing. I open the message and then my heart stops.

_Welcome back, little bird._

Alongside the words that make all the hairs on my neck stand up is a photo of the car we drove up in. I feel myself starting to hyperventilate as I can’t stop staring at the message. This has to be a prank, it _has_ to be. I force myself to stop staring at it, beginning to feel a little sick. This is just a joke that one of the others has come up, a really bad joke. I shove my phone back into my pocket. Just ignore it, at least until all the others are here. Either it’s one of them or… I’m not sure I want to think about the other opinion. Even if it is a joke though, I can’t shake the feeling of someone walking me. I begin to hurry back towards the lodge, hopefully if I jog I’ll be able to catch upto Tucker and shake how completely uncomfortable I feel right now.

***

 **Sonja.  
** **Upper Cable Car Station.  
** **21:41**

I smile as I type out a message to Capsize, replying to her complaint of not being able to see the cable car station through the telescope. I forgot how easy she was to talk to. She doesn’t seem too upset, that or she’s covering it up. I’m honestly not sure what’s more likely but I’m sure it’ll be clear when we’re in person. I’m hoping that she isn’t mad though, it’ll sort of ruin the idea of asking her out. I suppose that would be our own fault. I’ve only just finished writing my message when Capsize sends me one back.

_I need to talk to you and Ianite when you get the lodge. You won’t believe me if I don’t show you._

Before I can process how creepy that message sounds, a snowball hits the wall just by my head. I nearly drop my phone, gasping in shock before looking up to see who threw it. Standing just in front of the path towards the lodge is Ianite, another snowball in her hand and a cocky smile on her face. I can’t help but smile too, it’s been so long since I’ve seen her in person, even if I think I might be about to get a snowball to the face.

 _Ianite.  
_ _Sonja’s girlfriend._  
Caring, diligent, gentle

“Excuse me, miss, I’m looking for my beautiful girlfriend. Have you seen her?” She asks with mock confusion, inching her way towards me. I quietly laugh, standing up and walking to lean on the railing that separates the porch of the station of the snow covered ground. I do my best to hide the making of my own snowball, as hard as that is when we’re both out in the open.

“I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone like that,” I say, attempting not to laugh. This is stupid, it’s a fun stupid but still. I think I have enough snow to throw at her, I just need to distract her. I look around, doing my best to create a large searching movement. If I’m going to do this, I’m doing this fully. I see Ianite’s smile grow, god I’ve missed her so much. It almost makes me feel guilty for what I’m about to do, almost. With my empty hand, I point off into nothingness. “Wait, I think that’s her over there.”

“Where do you--” She’s cut off with a small scream as my snowball flies into her face. I can’t help but laugh, leaving myself completely open to her own snowball hitting my cheek. The cold spreads across my face and some of the snow ends up inside my coat but I still can’t deny the amount of fun I’m having. I rush over to my girlfriend, tackling her before she can make another snowball. She just stares at me for a moment and I worry I might have gone too far, before she also bursts out laughing. “I think I found her. I missed you Sonja.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I lean in, kissing her before it registers that we’re still on the ground. I get onto my feet, offering Ianite a hand to help her up. It’s only fair, I was the one who knocked up both onto the ground. She smiles as she gets up, dusting herself off. “I managed to dodge Capsize by using the longer path. It took about ten minutes longer than normal but it should mean that this is still a secret.”

“Yeah, about that,” I say, suddenly feeling a lot more guilty about just telling Jordan and Andor. What was the other option though? Just letting them believe we’re annoyed at her a few days before we ask her out? At least this way she doesn’t get some very mixed messages from those two. Ianite immediately frowns.

“What did you do?” She already sounds annoyed and I can’t blame her. She’s managed to keep this secret from her brother while we spent the month playing and within a few minutes of seeing the others, I’ve told two of them. Honestly I’ll be surprised if she ends this conversation just annoyed.

“I may have told Jordan and Andor about the plan to ask out Capsize,” I say. She blinks at me. She opens her mouth and then closes it again. I think I might have preferred yelling. “Jordan grabbed my phone and started looking through the messages and, obviously I panicked, but then he froze and it turns out he’d been looking at my messages to Capsize and he said, he said that she thought we were angry at her.”

“What?” Is all she says, though I’m not sure if that’s just because she didn’t catch all of my ramblings. Her expression doesn’t give me much to go off either, as it’s mostly blank. She looks down, frowning. I’ve messed this up, I know I have. “Why would she…? Fuck, this is about Skipper and Tom dating.”

“I’m not sure I follow you.”

“Right when we starting planning those stupid photos of Skipper and Tom went about and then we stopped messaging Capsize as much,” She says and suddenly it makes sense to me. I mean, I’m sure Capsize would’ve still been anxious with how little we were messaging generally, but I really should’ve realised how bad the timing was. How did she go back to messaging like normal? She should be so much more mad at me. “Look, I would’ve preferred you didn’t tell Jordan and Andor about asking out Capsize, mostly because there’s no way Jordan isn’t going to tell everyone, but all that means is we’re going to have to do it tonight rather than in a few days.”

“So we’re hoping to get to her before everyone gets into arguments?” I laugh, and I see Ianite roll her eyes. I probably shouldn’t joke when I’m the one who caused this mess but I can’t help it. It’s the reason we originally wanted to avoid asking tonight because, even if we try to actively avoid it, there’s going to be a fight. I’m honestly not sure who is going to start it, though Ianite told me that she and Dianite have a couple of bets.

“Well, hopefully we’ll be able to take her mind off that,” She says with a knowing smile. I blush a little. So maybe it won’t go completely to plan but it should still be fine. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.

“Capsize did text me that she wanted to talk to us when we got to the lodge.”

“Perfect! Well, let’s get going! We’re already going to be the last people to the lodge so let’s try not to get their half an hour after the others,” She says, beginning to drag me down the path. Hopefully there hasn’t already been a fight by the time we get to the lodge. Hopefully the thing Capsize wants to talk to us about isn’t that she’s angry at us. Hopefully this week goes as well as we’ve been planning it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little shorter than the last two but I have also tried to change a bit of stuff both for set up and generally because the weird cheating story line in Until Dawn is bad and goes no where (and by that I mean it affects Matt and only Matt). There'll be plenty of tension between the characters without that plot point anyway. Also I decided to have some fun with scenes based on the Until Dawn Companion App, which I haven't finished a full playthrough with but it definitely gave me some ideas.  
> Either way I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and the introductions to most of the characters.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is sort of a rewrite of one of my original fanfictions that I never actually finished but have always wanted to go back to now that I feel like I'm both better at writing and have very different ships than I did when I wrote it the first time. But well, I was replaying Until Dawn recently and thought that it would just be some fun.  
> Obviously, general warning this story will feature horror elements, including death.
> 
> Also the original version of this story featured sort of audience interaction in choices at the end of most chapters that influenced how the story ended up playing out. If you're interested in this idea, drop a comment and I'll have choices in this one too and if no one is, I'll make the choices based on what I think will be the most interesting version of the story.


End file.
